President Obama said, “The talent and expertise these individuals bring to their roles will serve our nation well. I am grateful for their service, and look forward to working with them.”

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Leonard Andrew Forsman, Appointee for Member, and upon appointment to be designated Vice Chair, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Leonard Andrew Forsman is Tribal Chairman of the Suquamish Tribe, a position he has held since 2005. Mr. Forsman was the Tribal Spokesperson of the Suquamish Tribe from 2003 to 2005. He was a Research Archaeologist at Larson Anthropological and Archaeological Services from 1992 to 2003, and a Consultant at King County Arts Commission from 1991 to 1992. Mr. Forsman served as Director of the Suquamish Museum from 1984 to 1990 and was a Research Assistant at the Suquamish Tribal Cultural Center from 1982 to 1984. He was first appointed as a member to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in 2013. Mr. Forsman received a B.A. from the University of Washington and an M.A. from Goucher College.

Linda Behnken, Appointee for United States Commissioner, International Pacific Halibut Commission Linda Behnken has been a commercial fisherman for over 30 years. Ms. Behnken has also served as the Executive Director of the Alaska Longline Fisherman’s Association since 1991. In 2009 she helped create, as a founding board member, the Alaska Sustainable Fishers Trust, and previously served as a member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council from 1992 to 2001. Ms. Behnken received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a M.E.S. from Yale University School of forestry and Environmental Studies.

Beth White, Appointee for Member, National Capital Planning Commission Beth White is President and Chief Executive Officer of Houston Parks Board, positions she has held since 2016. Ms. White was Director of the Chicago Office of The Trust for Public Land from 2006 to 2016. She served as Managing Director of Communications for the Chicago Housing Authority from 2003 to 2005, Chief of Staff for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Chicago Transit Board from 1995 to 2003, and Assistant Commissioner for the City of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development from 1991 to 1995. Ms. White was Executive Director of Friends of the Chicago River from 1988 to 1991 and Program Associate for the Open Lands Project from 1984 to 1987. She was an Assistant Project Coordinator for the City of Highland Park, Illinois from 1983 to 1984. Ms. White is a member of Lambda Alpha International, and was previously Chair of the Lakewood Balmoral National Historic District Committee. She was first appointed to the National Capital Planning Commission in 2012. Ms. White received a B.Phil. from Northwestern University and an M.A. from Loyola University Chicago.

Donna Darm, Appointee for United States Commissioner, Pacific Salmon Commission Donna Darm serves as Associate Deputy Regional Administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) West Coast Region, a position she has held since 2013. Ms. Darm has worked for the NMFS in various roles since 1992, including Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources in the Northwest Region from 1996 to 2013, and Senior Policy Advisor from 1992 to 1996. From 1991 to 1992 she served as the Assistant Director for Intergovernmental Affairs with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and previously was an Attorney Advisor with the United States Department of State from 1986 to 1991. Ms. Darm received a B.S. from Portland State University and a J.D. from the University of Washington.

Charles O. Swanton, Appointee for United States Commissioner, Pacific Salmon Commission Charles O. Swanton serves as Deputy Commissioner for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, a position held since 2015. Mr. Swanton is the State of Alaska’s Commissioner to the Pacific Salmon Commission charged with implementing the Pacific Salmon Treaty. Mr. Swanton has worked with pacific salmon for over 35 years in field research and fisheries management positions with progressive levels of authority culminating in his current appointment as Deputy Commissioner. In 2010, he completed his residency as a Fellow of the National Conservation Leadership Institute (NCLI) and in 2012 received the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Alumni Achievement Award for Business and Professional Excellence. Mr. Swanton received a B.S. in Biology and B.S. in Fisheries Science from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF) and an M.S. from the University of Washington, Fisheries Research Institute.

Dr. Earl A. Powell III, Appointee for Member, Commission of Fine Arts Dr. Earl A. Powell III is Director of the National Gallery of Art, a position he has held since 1992. Dr. Powell previously served as Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 1980 to 1992. He held curatorial posts at the National Gallery of Art from 1976 to 1980 and was an Assistant Professor of Art History at The University of Texas at Austin from 1974 to 1976. Dr. Powell was an Officer in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1969 and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1969 to 1980. He is a Trustee of the American Federation of the Arts, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the White House Historical Association. Dr. Powell was first appointed to the Commission of Fine Arts in 2003 and has served as Chairman since 2005. Dr. Powell received a B.A. from Williams College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Elizabeth K. Meyer, Appointee for Member, Commission of Fine Arts Elizabeth K. Meyer is the Merrill D. Peterson Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Virginia School of Architecture (UVA), a position she has held since 2014. Ms. Meyer served as Dean and Edward E. Elson Professor at the UVA School of Architecture from 2014 to 2016. She was Landscape Architecture Department Chair from 2002 to 2003 and 1993 to 1998, and was appointed as an Associate Professor at UVA in 1993. Ms. Meyer worked at Harvard Graduate School of Design as an Associate Professor in 1992 and as an Assistant Professor from 1988 to 1992. She was a Visiting Instructor at Cornell University from 1982 to 1983. Ms. Meyer is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architects. She was first appointed to the Commission of Fine Arts in 2012. Ms. Meyer received a B.S. and M.L.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.A. from Cornell University.

President Obama has also appointed the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Charles D. Brower, Appointed as United States Commissioner, U.S. – Russia Polar Bear Commission Charles D. Brower is Tribal Transportation Manager at the Native Village of Barrow, a position he has held since 2013. Mr. Brower served as General Manager at Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation from 2006 to 2013. He was Wildlife Director at the Native Village of Barrow in 2006 and Wildlife Department Director at North Slope Borough from 1986 to 2005. Mr. Brower is Chairman of the Alaska Nanuuq Commission, Chair of the Eskimo Walrus Commission, and a member of the Federal Subsistence Board. He served in the United States Navy from 1971 to 1975. Mr. Brower was first appointed to the Polar Bear Commission in 2010 as the Alternate Commissioner representing the Native People of Alaska.

Gregory Siekaniec, Appointed as United States Commissioner, U.S. – Russia Polar Bear Commission Gregory Siekaniec is Regional Director of Region 7 (Alaska) at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior, a position he has held since 2016. Mr. Siekaniec served as Chief Executive Officer of Ducks Unlimited Canada from 2012 to 2016. He worked at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for over 28 years, including serving as Deputy Director for Policy from 2011 to 2012, Assistant Director for the National Wildlife Refuge System from 2009 to 2011, and Refuge Manager of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge from 2000 to 2009. He attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government as a Senior Executive Fellow in 2008 and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Department of the Interior. Mr. Siekaniec received a B.S. from the University of Montana.